50th Anniversary of the
Fall of Dien Bien Phu
Noted by UTD’s Special Collections Department

Many in the public have never
heard of Dien Bien Phu, much less realize what significance the battle there in May
of 1954 had on Vietnam, the United States and the world.

Dr. Erik D. Carlson, head of the McDermott Library’s Special Collections Department
at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), will present a lecture titled “Civil
Air Transport & the Fall of Dien Bien Phu” from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday,
May 7, in the McDermott Library Auditorium (MC 2.410). The presentation is free and
open to the public. Special Collections is home to the Civil Air Transport/Air America
archive and memorial.

Forces under General Vo Nguyen Giap challenged the French for control of northern
French Indochina that year. When the Viet Minh laid siege to Dien Bien Phu in May,
two Americans – James “Earthquake” McGovern and Wallace Buford – were
killed when their CAT supply plane was shot down.

After the fall of Dien Bien Phu to the Viet Minh, the French evacuated the city and
concentrated their forces near Saigon. By 1956, the French were out of Vietnam. With
Vietnam divided into the communist north and the non-communist south, the U.S. later
became militarily involved in the country on a large scale.

A reception will be held in the Special Collections section of the library after the
presentation.